Iran beat S. Korea to go to quarterfinals in AFC U17 Asia Cup

Kasra Taheri, whose two goals to date in the tournament have both been set up by Nima Andarz, returned the favor in the 18th minute. His flick-on fell into the path of the rampaging right-back, whose low drive squirmed underneath Hong Sung-Min to break the deadlock, Tehran Times reported.

Barely 60 seconds later, it was 2-0. A brilliant backheel from Esmaeil Gholizadeh nutmegged an opponent and found Mahan Sadeghi, who took a touch before leathering the ball across Hong and into the top right corner.

The winger became the sixth Iranian to find the back of the net in this tournament – no other team has had more different scorers.

Iran will meet Yemen on Sunday, while the Korean face hosts Thailand.

The winners will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup.

MNA/PR